Application of Forces and Energy Lecture Notes

Practice flashcards covering the application of forces, types of energy, and environmental impacts of energy sources based on the provided lecture notes.

Tropical Cyclones

Intense storms that begin over oceans in tropical regions, usually accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds.

Wind Speed in Tropical Cyclones

Winds in these storms can reach speeds up to about $320\,km/h$.

Lithospheric Plates

Large sections of the Earth's crust that move continuously and very slowly.

Earthquake

An event occurring when one lithospheric plate slides over or against another, resulting in the release of a great amount of energy.

Gravitational Force

A non-contact force that attracts objects toward each other.

Friction

A contact force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.

Elastic Force

The force acting on a material that is stretched or compressed, causing it to return to its original shape.

Tsunami

A vigorous movement of the ocean floor caused by underwater earthquakes or sometimes volcanic eruptions.

Weight

The measure of the gravitational force acting on an object, measured in Newtons ($N$).

Mass

The amount or quantity of matter in an object, which does not change regardless of location or gravitational force; the SI unit is the kilogram ($kg$).

Pressure

The effect of a force acting on an object, defined as the amount of force applied per unit area ($Pressure = \frac{Force}{Area}$).

Atmospheric Pressure

The pressure exerted by the thick layer of air surrounding Earth as it pushes down on the surface due to gravity.

Work

The transfer of energy through the application of a force that causes an object to move in the same direction as the force.

Law of Conservation of Energy

A principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only transferred or converted from one form to another.

Gravitational Potential Energy ($GPE$)

The form of energy an object possesses due to its position or height; it is converted to Kinetic Energy ($KE$) as the object moves downward.

Solar Energy

Energy harnessed from sunlight using materials that capture and convert it into electrical energy.

Hydroelectric Energy

Electrical energy generated by moving water from a dam turning turbines to power a generator.

Wind Energy

Energy generated by wind turbines that convert the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy.

Geothermal Energy

Heat energy from within the Earth used to boil water into steam, which then powers turbines to produce electricity.

Biofuels

Fuels made from animal waste or plant material, such as ethanol, which can be used to power motor vehicles.

Nuclear Energy

Energy harnessed from the nucleus of atoms, such as uranium, where large amounts of heat are released when atoms split.